October – GROUND

Prompt of the Month: Journal one line about how you feel, or about one thing that you are grateful for.

This hasn’t been an ordinary year outside the window. A long, parched summer brought hosepipe bans across much of the country, gardens gone yellow, and thirsty trees dropping their leaves early. After a second dry summer in a row, a good few of us are quietly wondering what the winter has in store.

Nature seems less troubled by the question. It’s easing off, drawing its energy back down into the root, trusting that a quiet spell now is what makes the spring possible. There’s something in that worth borrowing.

We’ve called October’s theme GROUND, and this month’s calendar image is a good place to start: a herd of Swiss Fleckvieh lying in an alpine meadow above Engelberg, thoroughly at ease, in no hurry to be anywhere. It comes with a line from Hermann Hesse —

“Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”
~ Hermann Hesse, Swiss-German Author ~

Our own short thought: A seasonal reset means caring for the body and mind. And as the world slows down, there’s steadiness to be found in small rituals that calm and root us.

We don’t mean a transformation, or another item on the to-do list. We mean the opposite: slowing down on purpose and coming back to the small things that keep us steady when the days get shorter and the diary gets fuller. Being grounded doesn’t mean standing still. It means knowing where your feet are, so that whatever the season brings, you meet it steadily.

From Share to Ground – A Thought from Lily, Our Welfare Officer

September was about what we share with others. October turns the attention gently inward, towards noticing and honouring our own wellbeing and what we need. It’s a reminder that caring for ourselves matters, too, because none of us can pour from an empty cup.

For me, grounding is found in the small moments that bring me back to myself: walking through a local park or forest, feeling the grass beneath my feet, taking a deep and intentional breath, or sitting down for a cuddle with my toddler after a long day. Sometimes, it’s as simple as opening the blinds to greet the sun, breathing in the morning air, or taking a quiet moment while the kettle boils for a cup of tea.

Grounding helps me feel connected, appreciative of where I am, and reassured, even when life around me feels busy. It creates a little more space to meet the demands of the day.

As we move from summer into autumn, the changing seasons invite us to slow down and pay attention. The darker evenings and changing routines can sometimes stir up challenging thoughts and feelings, making this a valuable time to acknowledge what our bodies and minds need. Perhaps that means connecting with friends, making space for a quieter evening, or finding comfort in a hot chocolate and movie night.

As we move through this season, perhaps we can each ask ourselves:

• What does looking after myself mean beyond simply resting when I’m already exhausted?
• How can I learn to listen to my body and mind before reaching burnout?
• What would giving myself permission to slow down look like?

Grounding doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, it’s simply noticing what we need, taking a breath, and allowing ourselves to be where we are. In the midst of life’s business, I hope we can each find small moments that help us feel rooted, restored, and ready to meet whatever comes next.

The Steadiness in Small Rituals

Let’s think about rituals this month rather than resolutions; and the difference matters. A resolution is a big promise about the future, whilst a ritual is smaller and steadier. Something you incorporate into your routine every day. As mentioned by Lily, a hot drink made slowly in the morning, an afternoon walk. Your own rituals will be personal to you, the Sunday bake, ten minutes with a book before the light goes off, a short mindful practice. These small moments may not seem like much on their own, but over time, they can become anchors in our day, offering moments of calm, comfort and connection.

When you’re building a life between two countries, some rituals become a way of carrying home with you. Whether it’s the way coffee is made, the Sunday walk in the woods, seasonal foods or the language spoken around the dinner table, these everyday practices connect us to our roots and the people who have shaped us. They remind us that home isn’t only a place we live, but something we can carry with us.

October unsettles the routine a little, all on its own. Overnight on Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October the clocks go back, and British Summer Time ends. The extra hour in bed is welcome; the darkness that arrives earlier every evening afterwards, less so. For plenty of people the loss of the light can bring a dip in mood and energy. Saying that out loud ahead of time can be a small act of grounding through acknowledgement. It is also a good reason to turn to start think about steadying habits that will support you through this.

The colder months bring a money worry too, and it would be odd not to mention it. The heating goes back on this month just as energy prices go up again, and for a lot of households that makes the winter ahead something to think hard about. If that’s you, a few things are worth knowing. The Winter Fuel Payment is back this winter for older people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and it’s usually paid automatically. In Scotland there is the separate Pension Age Winter Heating Payment. The Warm Home Discount, which takes £150 off your electricity bill, now covers even more households than before. And if these don’t stretch far enough and the winter still feels out of reach, our Welfare Office is here — a quiet word with us early is always better than struggling on alone. Asking for help isn’t a bad thing, it is a part of looking after yourself and helps us find our ground again.

Marking World Mental Health Day — On Purpose

Saturday 10 October is World Mental Health Day, and it sits well in this month, because grounding isn’t an indulgence. It’s one of the most practical bits of looking after yourself there is, and it’s close to the centre of good mental health: being able to steady yourself, to notice how you’re genuinely doing, and to reach for support a little sooner rather than a lot later.

Mental health isn’t something fixed that some people have and others don’t. It’s closer to the weather, as it shifts, and changes seasons. Mental health answers to how well we look after ourselves and each other, just like remembering to put on your raincoat or sharing an umbrella. Some of the things that help it most are also the most simple: setting up a regular meeting or call with a friend, keeping some rhythm to the day, moving about, getting outdoors. And also, being honest with yourself, and with someone you trust, about how you’re actually getting on. If you’re looking for support and aren’t sure where to start, the Hub of Hope is a good place to begin — a free directory from the charity Chasing the Stigma that brings together local and national mental health services in one place, wherever you are in the UK.

Where to Find Steadiness This Autumn

As we’ve chosen GROUND for October to focus on rooting ourselves in steadier habits, it helps to have somewhere to start. Here’s what’s taking shape.

We’ve got a wonderful event coming up soon: Our Disconnect to Reconnect Digital Wellbeing Workshop, run with My Resilient Mind. It’s taking place on Saturday 21 November 2026, from 1pm to 4pm at 79 Endell Street, London — an afternoon of mindfulness, community and practical ways to build healthier digital habits. There’s a real link between the two: in a season that asks us to slow down, not much unsettles our footing like a phone that never stops asking for our attention. Stepping away from the screen, even for an afternoon, is one of the kinder things we can do for our own heads — and this is a chance to do exactly that, in good company, with genuinely useful tools to take home.

Tickets (£10) hold your place — and what the afternoon gives you goes well beyond that: expert guidance, good company, refreshments, and tools you can take home. Numbers will be limited, so it’s worth booking early once the tickets are available.

More gatherings in our Tea, Coffee & Good Company series are in preparation. We’re also working on bringing our events to those who can’t always travel to London. If you would like to be told when our first online gathering is happening, send us a message by email or on WhatsApp and we’ll make sure you hear about it.

In the meantime, several other Swiss clubs and organisations run online get-togethers regularly; you’ll find many of them through the Swiss in the UK Facebook group, or by searching Eventbrite. We are putting real effort into making our events as inclusive as we can, and we always welcome your feedback on how we’re doing.

To hear about events first, join the SBS Community Events WhatsApp group. If you have specific accessibility requirements for any SBS event, or would like to let us know in advance that you will need assistance, please email us at community@swissbenevolent.org.uk and we will make sure someone is ready to welcome you at the door.

A Practical October Experiment

This month’s prompt asks you to journal one line about how you feel, or about one thing that you are grateful for.

It’s meant to be small. A single line, once a day, isn’t a diary to keep up with or another thing to feel bad about giving up on by mid-month. It’s more like pausing for a moment, giving yourself a quick, honest check-in that, over a few weeks. It teaches you to notice how you actually are rather than how you assume you are. One line a day can be doable, and you might want to set this intention with a friend or family member, to keep yourself motivated.

Here are four ways you might act on it:

• Keep it to one honest line. Same time each day — with the morning coffee, or last thing at night — write a single sentence about how you feel, or one thing you’re grateful for. Don’t polish it. “Tired, but the walk helped” is a perfect entry. The noticing is the point, not the writing.
  
• Hang it on a habit you already have. The easiest new habit leans on an old one. Tie your line to something you already do without fail — the kettle boiling, the commute home, brushing your teeth — and let the old habit carry the new one along.
  
• Take the darker evenings seriously. When the clocks go back on 25 October, keep hold of one source of light and warmth in the week — a standing coffee with a friend, a walk while it’s still bright, an evening class, anything that gets you out and among people. The early dark is easier to take when something in the week is reliably yours to look forward to.
  
• Ground yourself in the body, not just the head. Grounding isn’t only reflective. A brisk walk in cold air, hands in the soil of an autumn garden, a proper meal cooked slowly, a few minutes of stretching — these settle you as surely as any journal. On the days when writing a line feels like too much, do one of these instead. It still counts.

There’s a fifth one that fits the month especially well: on World Mental Health Day, ask someone how they are actually doing. And be ready to ask a second time, because the honest answer usually turns up after the automatic one.

Closing Reflection

The cattle in this month’s photo aren’t doing anything. They’re just resting on ground that holds them, in a landscape that’s held their kind for centuries. It’s easy to overlook the sense in that, in a culture that rates motion above nearly everything else — that steadiness isn’t the same as being stuck, and that rest isn’t the opposite of strength but one of the places it comes from.

As things slow down around us this month, the invitation is to slow with them rather than fight it. To go back to the small rituals that root us. To notice, in one honest line a day, how we’re really doing. To get our footing sorted before the darker weeks arrive, and to remember that being grounded is what lets us keep giving, keep growing, and take whatever comes next. Hesse’s sanctuary isn’t somewhere you have to travel to. It’s already in you, and it’s always open.

Find one small ritual this month, and let it root you.

And carry on.

---

Join Our 2026 SBS Year of Steady Progress

This journey continues through our monthly blog, where each theme will come to life with practical insights, reflections, and coaching tools to help you stay steady through the year.

Accessing the Calendar

To ensure everyone in our community can take part, we have made the full PDF version of the SBS 2026 Wall Calendar available to download for free on our website.

If you would prefer a hardcopy, you are very welcome to contact our office. We will be happy to post one to you. We currently have a limited number of printed copies remaining, available on a first-come, first-served basis; in return, we would gratefully appreciate a Donation of any amount. As always, 100% of proceeds go directly back into the SBS Welfare Fund, supporting Swiss nationals in the UK who need us most.

👉 Download the PDF: SBS 2026 Calendar A4
👉 Request a hardcopy: info@swissbenevolent.org.uk

READ OUR OTHER BLOGS HERE:

• Beneath the Noise: An October Reflection on GROUND
• Disconnect to Reconnect: A Digital Wellbeing Afternoon in London
• Given Away, Not Gone: A September Reflection on Share
• Where the Forest Begins: An August Reflection on Unite
• Annual Summer Office Break

About the Swiss Benevolent Society

The Swiss Benevolent Society exists to support Swiss nationals in the UK through times of change, challenge, and transition. Our work is grounded in dignity, compassion, and the belief in self-reliance — offering practical help while empowering individuals and families to regain stability and confidence. If you or someone you know may need support, you can learn more about how we help and how to get in touch through our Welfare Office. If you share our values and would like to be part of our community, we welcome you to become a member and stay connected with our work. And if you are able, donations — of any size — help us continue providing vital assistance; every contribution goes directly back into our welfare programmes.

Stay Connected

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn for monthly reflections, book highlights, and gentle wellbeing reminders.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive each month’s theme directly in your inbox.

If you are able, donations help sustain our welfare work and ensure we can continue supporting Swiss nationals in the UK. Every contribution makes a difference.